By Keith Taylor
Kentucky Today
Kentucky made the biggest jump in the Associated Press Top 25 poll Monday.
The Wildcats (8-2) moved up five spots and are now ranked No. 9 going into Thursday’s contest against instate rival Louisville. It marked the first time this season Kentucky has entered into the Top 10.
In three games against ranked foes, Kentucky has won twice against teams ranked in the Top 10. The Wildcats defeated then-No. 9 North Carolina 87-83 last Saturday in the CBS Sports Classic in Atlanta and earlier downed then-No. 8 Miami.
The Tar Heels fell to No. 11, but Kentucky coach John Calipari thinks North Carolina will be among the teams in the hunt for a national title.
“UNC is a Final Four-level team,” he said. “They are – and (RJ) Davis — I’m like, ‘you’re one of the best players in the country right now, three-level scorer, layup, mid-range, and three.’ They’re good. We were lucky to win, but I’m happy for this young group because they’ve really worked hard. They’ve sacrificed for each other.”
The recent return of Aaron Bradshaw and Ugonna Onyenso has given Kentucky a boost in the post, giving Tre Mitchell an opportunity to freelance more on the court.
“There’s a lot more switching going on (and) I’m able to get out there and guard a smaller defender, keep him on the perimeter, stay in front of him kind of thing as opposed to having a battle with a 5 for 40 minutes,” Mitchell said. “It’s great to have (Bradshaw) back. You see the impact he has on the court, and it really gives us all a lot more freedom out there.”
Hooray for D.J.
For the second time this season, Kentucky point guard D.J. Wagner was named SEC Player of the Week.
In his second game after returning from an injury, Wagner played 35 minutes in the win over North Carolina. He scored 14 points, grabbed six rebounds and dished out five assists.
Wagner is averaging 12.8 points per game on a squad that has balanced scoring. In the win over North Carolina, eight players scored seven points or more.
“I’ve seen it all season, we’ve got four, five, six dudes in double figures multiple games this year,” Mitchell said. “It comes down to we know the dude to the left and to the right of us is an elite basketball player.
“It makes the game so much easier for each one of us when each individual person is capable of drawing so much attention. It just opens up shots for everybody else.”
Antonio Reeves leads Kentucky in scoring (17.1 points per game), followed by Rob Dillingham (14.4), Reed Sheppard (12.8), Wagner (12.8), Mitchell (12.7) and Bradshaw (10.7).
Gametracker: Kentucky at Louisville, 6 p.m., Thursday. TV/Radio: ESPN, UK Radio Network.